State's web of evil exposed
Robyn Ironside/ Greg Stolz/ Rosemary Odgers
Courier Mail (5-4-2008)

THIRTY serious sex offenders are still living in Queensland communities - despite the State Government's fears that they will reoffend.
Authorities yesterday said there were no guarantees they would not attack again after a 59-year-old man, who cannot be named under Queensland law, was arrested for breaching his supervision order.
The accused man appeared in Brisbane Magistrate's Court today charged with rape, assaulting a person over 60 years and administering a stupefying drug with the intent to commit an offence.
Police said the victim was allegedly attacked at her Palm Beach home on Wednesday.
Magistrate Noel Nunan remanded the man to reappear in Southport Magistrates Court on April 14.
A second serious sex offender has also been interviewed by police over the alleged rape.
Convicted pedophile Mark Anthony Foy is believed to have been in a Palm Beach unit on at the time the alleged rape occurred.
Foy and the alleged offender are among five serious sex attackers who are back behind bars after breaching strict supervision orders in the past fortnight.
However 30 other former inmates remain free after the government unsuccessfully fought to keep them in jail.
Foy was arrested on Wednesday night – after the alleged rape occurred – for breaches of his supervision order relating to his alleged failure to attend probation and parole appointments on time, positive drug tests and wilful damage.
It is understood the pair were regular visitors to the unit block where the woman was allegedly raped.
A neighbour said the two men often visited the woman and drank alcohol together.
"(They) had been here off and on for the last six months or so – more often lately," the neighbour said.
A past victim of the accused rapist said she felt "ill" when she heard the alleged rape took place about 2km from where she was living.
She slammed "bleeding heart" judges and politicians for allowing sex attackers back into the community.
"I cried, I just cried," she said.
The victim said she always believed the accused would reoffend.
"I don't call people like him sick because sick people can be cured. He is just evil," she said.
The recent spate of breaches has raised questions about the effectiveness of supervision orders made by the Supreme Court under the Dangerous Prisoner (Sexual Offenders) Act.
Convicted pedophile John Bragg and violent sex offender Darren Francis failed drug tests last month, and just over a week ago repeat rapist Shane Harvey was charged with attempted murder after allegedly bashing a woman, 54, with a walking stick.
The laws were created by the State Government to allow repeat sex offenders to be jailed indefinitely where necessary.
But of the 46 offenders taken to court so far, 16 are currently behind bars, while 30 have been freed and are living under various restrictions including curfews, are banned from interacting with children and undergo regular drug tests.
Eleven of the offenders are forced to wear electronic tracking bracelets.
Corrective Services director-general Frank Rockett yesterday launched a thinly veiled attack on the Supreme Court judgments, saying he was concerned that every one of the offenders posed a risk to the community.
"Every time we have argued to the court this person should not be released to the community," he told ABC Radio. "Arguments are put strongly using the best possible legal defence. In most cases, the Supreme Court chooses to release them on very strict supervision orders."
Mr Rockett said that in the past four years there had been 25 breaches of supervision orders.
"But we haven't had anyone on a supervision order reoffend sexually, until now," he said.
Corrective Services Minister Judy Spence said the laws were currently under review and the Government was considering ways to close loopholes.
"We are frustrated that the courts will not allow us to keep people (like the accused man) behind bars indefinitely," she said. "He has shown through his past behaviours that he is a despicable human being.
"We can't give any guarantees. The only place we can guarantee these people won't reoffend is if they're behind a prison gate."
Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg demanded Ms Spence be sacked if the rape allegations were proven.
"One of the major responsibilities of any government is to protect its citizens, and if these allegations are found to be proven, the Government is failing to protect the most vulnerable Queenslanders," he said.
He supported changes to the laws which would keep sex offenders behind bars indefinitely.
Hetty Johnston, from child safety group Bravehearts, said courts were not using the laws as they were meant to be used – to keep dangerous offenders out of the community.
"We have to keep these people locked up," she said.
But Queensland Council of Civil Liberties president Michael Cope said the laws should not exist at all.
"What we object to in this legislation is that they've served their time, but they're being locked up on the basis of what they might do," he said.
Earlier in the day, the accused rapist appeared in the Supreme Court on two alleged breaches of his supervision order.
Despite protesting his innocence through defence barrister Dan O'Gorman, he was remanded in custody.

Thirty sex offenders at large

Queenslanders subject to Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act Orders
* Indicates those currently behind bars

UNNAMED *
Sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment for offences including rape and sodomy against an adult female victim. Offences committed 20 days after he was released on parole for earlier rape offence.

Douglas Allen
Sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for offences including carnal knowledge by anal intercourse against a 12-year-old male victim.

Graham Wayne Banks
Sentenced to six months and balance of previously suspended 22-month sentence for indecent treatment offences against a 12-year-old boy.

Keith Albert Beattie *
Sentenced to nine years' imprisonment for offences that included maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship and carnal knowledge against male victims. Three victims were children aged 14-15 years and one a 19-year-old intellectually impaired male.

Steven Shane Bickle
Sentenced to 13 years, nine months for offences including sodomy, attempted rape and indecent dealings against his step-children. They were two boys and two girls, aged 8-16 at time of offences.

Clinton James Brady
Sentenced to seven years for offences including indecent treatment and taking a child for immoral purpose. The offences were committed against 13-year-old girl who lived next door to Brady. He restrained her, detained her for 2½ hours and sexually assaulted her.

John Robert Bragg
Sentenced to nine years for 24 offences committed against his defacto partner, his 13-year-old niece and three female strangers. Offences included sodomising his defacto, exposing his niece to sexual activity and attempts to assault the three strangers.

Walter Frank Bridson *
Sentenced in 1997 to five years for attempted indecent assault against an adult female. Offence involved use of a knife. In 1999, he was sentenced to five years for of breaking into another house and threatening a female victim with a knife and demanding drugs.

Desmond Buckby *
Sentenced to four years for indecent treatment offences committed against two female children, 8 and 11. Offences involved administering drugs to stupefy before sexually assaulting them. Offences were committed shortly after release from custody after serving sentence for earlier sex offences.

Leslie Butler
Sentenced to 10 years for maintaining sexual relationship with daughter from age 12.

Roger Deverill
Sentenced to five years' imprisonment for indecent treatment offences against male child victim.

Raymond Downs
Sentenced to three years for indecent treatment offence committed against 9-year-old female child victim.

James Alfred Dugdale
Sentenced to 13 years, six months for offences including rape against his step-daughter, son and two other male children over an 18-month period.

Travice Edwards *
Sentenced to 14 years for three separate rape offences committed against female victims, one of whom was 12.

Traven Lee Fisher
Sentenced to four years, six months for digital penetration of 2-year-old female, indecent assault of 18-year-old female.

Mark Foy *
Sentenced to four years, six months for offences including indecent treatment of children under 12. Two sets of offences. Victims were male and female children aged 6-12 years. Second series of offences involved committing indecent acts in front of the children and forcing them to touch him in a public park.

Darren Anthony Francis *
Sentenced to six years. Similar offences committed against two adult females, one in Qld one in NSW. Offences were committed while Francis was in relationship with victim and involved sexually sadistic assaults. Qld offence committed first, offender then sentenced in NSW and sentenced for Qld offence after being extradited.

Roy Friend *
Sentenced to four years, six months for offences including exposing himself and sexual assault were committed against five male child victims.

Ronald Galvin
Sentenced to 16 years for 26 offences against three male and two female child victims over an eight-year period. Offences included rape, attempted rape, sodomy and attempted sodomy.

Mark Gates
Sentenced to eight years for unlawful anal intercourse with 7-year-old boy. Gates stayed the night at child's parents' house. He entered child's bedroom and sexually assaulted child.

Albert Hendrykus Gerrits *
Serving 16 years for offences including carnal knowledge against adult female victim. Gerrits broke into victim's house, threatened her and then assaulted her.

Barry John Hanlon (deceased)
Hanlon deceased as of 23/12/07 at Redcliffe Hospital. Awaiting official confirmation of death prior to completion of order.

Craig Hansen
Sentenced to three years for offences of indecent treatment committed against three female child victims.

Shane Harvey *
Sentenced to 12 years for two offences of rape, the second committed while on bail for the first. Both rapes involved violence and were committed against stranger victims who were adult females.

Roy Thomas Hogan
Sentenced to six years' imprisonment for offences including attempted sodomy, permitting sodomy and indecent dealings.

Gregory Alan Hynds *
Serving a sentence of 19 years, six months for two separate violent rapes of adult female victims. Hynds carefully planned each offence, ensuring victim was alone before the assault. Actual and threatened violence were used.

Mark Richard Lawrence *
Serving seven years for rape and sexual assault. Offences committed against a male prisoner, involved threats of violence. Offence committed while Lawrence serving a sentence for unlawful killing committed against a female patient at secure mental health facility.

Keith Levack
Serving nine years' imprisonment for offences including maintaining a sexual relationship with a child. Victims were nine male children. The offending against one victim lasted for a period of five years from when the victim was aged 10.

Kevin Michael Loudon
Serving two years' imprisonment for indecent treatment offences against two male child victims involving exposure to pornographic material and physical contact. Offences committed while on probation for earlier indecent treatment offences committed against two male child victims involving offer of payment to allow him to perform oral sex.

Lawrence Bernie McLean
Sentenced to 13 years. McLean tied up his defacto and, over a three-day period, raped and sodomised her and her 12-year-old daughter at knifepoint while reportedly threatening to kill both if they complained to the police.

Gordon Francis Murry
Sentenced to three years for offences including wilfully and unlawfully exposing 10-year-old girl to indecent act by masturbating in front of her.

Leslie Orourke *
Sentenced to five years, 13 days for offences including rape, deprivation of liberty, indecent assault and common assault. First victim 58 years old, second 30 years old.

William Anthony Power
Sentenced to three years and nine months for offences including indecent treatment of child under 16 (exposure, 11 counts), indecent treatment of child under 16 (14 counts), indecent treatment of a child under 16 (two counts), attempted indecent treatment of a child under 16 and rape. Victims aged 12-14 years, including defacto's daughter, reoffended on bail against same victim (defacto's daughter).

Joseph Reynolds
Sentenced to 10 years' for offences including indecent dealings with child under 16 (four counts), rape (two counts). Victim was defacto's 13-year-old daughter.

Nigel Patrick Robinson *
Sentenced to nine years for offences including rape and indecent assault against a woman and female child.

Claude Shapland *
Serving effective sentence of 11 years, 11 months. Current offences involved sexual assault of two female children. These offences were committed while on parole for maintaining a sexual relationship with 11-year-old female child.

Lawrence Smith
Sentenced to four years, six months for offences of indecent treatment of three female child victims aged 4-7.

Michael B Smith
Sentenced to six years for break and enter offences as well as assault with intent to rape.

Phillip James Spence
Sentenced to nine years for the violent rape of adult female victim.

Paul Vincent Sutherland
Serving 20-year sentence for offences including manslaughter and rape.

Trevor Toms
Sentenced to 22 years' imprisonment for three separate rape offences against adult female victims.

John Cameron Twigge
Sentenced to 18 months for indecent dealing against stranger female child victim aged 10 years.

Eric Henri Van Dessel
Sentenced to two years, six months for indecent treatment offences committed against eight male child victims aged 6-13 years.

Shane Charles Waghorn *
Sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment for abducting a 10-year-old female, placing her in boot of his car and sexually assaulting her in isolated location.

Allan Ward
Sentenced to 10 years for 46 offences committed against three female child victims over a three-year period. Offences included carnal knowledge, indecent photographs and maintaining an unlawful sexual relationship.

David Wright
Sentenced to five years' imprisonment for indecent dealing offences committed against two male child victims over two separate periods. Also convicted of possessing child abuse computer game.

Raymond Yeo
Sentenced to a total of five years' imprisonment for indecent dealing and exposure offences against male child victims. The second series of offences were committed while on bail for the first series of offences.

Courier Mail (5-4-2008)